Stoke Hall’s second annual coffee house was ‘huge success’

Adam Cook/ContributINGTwo UNH students show off their talents during Stoke Hall’s annual coffee house. Students and UNH club members displayed their talents on Tuesday night while students watched.

There was a lot of talent in Stoke Hall on Tuesday night as the residence hall held its second annual coffee house talent show. As residents filled up the main lobby, the acts performed by UNH organizations and Stoke residents began to amaze the packed audience.

Stoke Hall’s resident assistants and its hall council put on the event. It took three weeks to prepare for as both RA’s and hall council had to get the food ready and persuade some residents to show off their talents.

“It’s really a group effort,” Stoke Hall President Emily Vulgamore said when asked about the preparation process.

When questioned about the intentions of the show, Vulgamore said. “It’s to bring people together … [to] get to know people.”

The first group to perform was the co-ed a cappella group Alabaster Blue. They sang a set of four songs, and ended with a big round of applause.

“We’ve been preparing for the last week and a half for this event,” said Alablaster Blue memeber Tyler Boutilier.

“I’ve been singing in the group for two years,” he continued. “But I’ve been singing since I was 5.”

The next act consisted of Sister’s in Step, UNH’s all-female, hip-hop/step dancing group. Their enthusiastic dance moves had the whole crowd applauding. They even taught a few fans a thing or two. Audience members came up and participated in one of their dances.

The next two acts were Stoke Hall residents as they performed musical endeavors of their own. The first was Nick Dubicki who played the piano, and the second was a dynamic guitar and vocal duet performed by Sam Payne and Olivia Lenox.

The New Hampshire Gentlemen also made an appearance, an all-male a cappella group, playing a two song set.

At the end, Improv Anonymous came in for an impromptu surprise performance.

“We just winged it,” Improv Anonymous member Mason White said.

Per usual, Improv Anonymous had the room roaring with laughter, with audience interactions from each game they played.

“We wanted to support the building,” White said. “We have a good fan base [there].”

The audience seemed impressed with the show.

Freshman Tim Kenefick had nothing but good remarks.

“I thought it was hilarious,” Kenefick said. “It was really cool seeing all the different talent.”

He added that he would definitely return to watch next year, and maybe even try finding his own talent to perform.